[Elecraft] K3 Failure

[Phil Wheeler]

I wonder if you could simply power the KAT500 from 
its own wall wart?

Phil W7OX

On 8/10/14, 2:42 PM, Gary Ferdinand wrote:
> Thanks Fred and Steve.
>
> Removing the KAT from the K3 ACC connection did the trick.  There are shack configurations where I have no power available to the KAT500, so looks like I yank the ACC plug every time I need that configuration.  Strange design, that.
>
> Tnx/73
>
> Gary W2CS
>
>
> On Aug 10, 2014, at 1:40 PM, Cady, Fred <fcady at ece.montana.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hi Gary,
>> If the K3 is turned on when the KAT500 is off, the tuner may pull down (almost ground) control signals in the K3-KPA Cable, specifically AUXBUS.  If this happens you will be presented with a totally blank K3 display or hung up K3 and you must turn off the K3's power supply to recover.  To avoid this problem you can either switch on the KAT500 before the K3 or switch them both on at the same time, which seems to work too (that's what I do).
>> Here is a procedure to restore the K3 to normal operation:
>> *	Disconnect or turn off all power to the K3.
>> *	If you have a KPA500, turn it off using the back panel AC power switch.
>> *	Turn on the KAT500.
>> *	If you have a KPA500, turn it back on also using the back panel AC power switch - you don't need to turn on the front panel power switch.  (Some users have reported problems trying to restart their K3 when the KPA500 is off.)
>> *	Restore power to the K3.
>> *	Turn the K3 power on with the POWER switch.
>> If this procedure doesn't work, try this:
>> *	Disconnect or turn off all power to the K3.
>> *	Disconnect the K3-KPA Cable from the K3 ACC connector.
>> *	Restore power to the K3.
>> *	Turn the K3 power on with the POWER switch.
>> If this procedure doesn't work, you may have other problems and it may be time to call Elecraft Customer Service or to try the K3's EE INIT procedure .  If the above does work, continue with the following:
>> *	Turn the K3 power off with the POWER switch.
>> *	Reconnect the K3-KPA Cable to the K3 ACC connector.
>> *	Turn on the KAT500.
>> *	If you have a KPA500, turn it on also.
>> *	Turn the K3 power on with the POWER switch.
>>
>> Cheers and 73,
>> Fred KE7X
>>
>> "The Elecraft K3: Design, Configuration and Operation 2nd ed"
>> "The Elecraft KX3 - Going for the summit"
>> "The Elecraft KPA500 and KAT500 - the K-Line Dream Station"
>> Printed, coil bound copies of these are all available at www.elecraft.com, pdf's available from www.ke7x.com
>> KPA500 and KAT500 Quick Set Up Guide
>> http://www.ke7x.com/home/k-line-introduction-and-set-up-guide
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
>>> Gary Ferdinand
>>> Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2014 9:11 AM
>>> To: elecraft
>>> Subject: [Elecraft] K3 Failure
>>>
>>>
>>> When I powered the K3 up this morning I was greeted with the following
>>> behavior:
>>>
>>> When it powered up, the LCD display was on (yellow) but nothing was
>>> displayed No Audio No band data sent to the computer Nothing on the P3.
>>> The K3 could not be powered off with its power switch.
>>>
>>> Since my K3/P3/KAT/KPA configuration operated more or less flawlessly,
>>> I asked "What changed?"
>>>
>>> My Acom 2000A was configured to be the amp  The power to the KAT500
>>> was removed and repurposed  Appropriate coaxial cables were rerouted to
>>> put the 2000A in line (of course)
>>>
>>> With the help of a good friend it was determined that the issue was
>>> that I had removed power from the KAT500 without unplugging the unit
>>> from the K3's ACC jack.  When I unplugged that line, the K3 powered up
>>> normally.
>>>
>>> Why does this happen?  Is a powered-off KAT500 an invalid state to the
>>> K3?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Gary W2CS